The Strategic Issues & International Relations Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to India's security environment, her strategic outlook on global affairs and as well as the effect of international relations in the Indian Subcontinent. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.

because maldives - overthrow its pro-india leader , and a sino-islamic radical clique is in charge- contributes per capita the highest number of jihadis in the region- has been overrun by saudi funded madrasas- enjoy easy visa on entry in india and run of the place- has leased certain island to the chinese to build some port - is sucking up to cheen on every matter and spitting on india- is close to laccadives and kerala both of which is witnessing creeping islamic radical threat- because it is a strategic island

Singha wrote:because maldives - overthrow its pro-india leader , and a sino-islamic radical clique is in charge- contributes per capita the highest number of jihadis in the region- has been overrun by saudi funded madrasas- enjoy easy visa on entry in india and run of the place- has leased certain island to the chinese to build some port - is sucking up to cheen on every matter and spitting on india- is close to laccadives and kerala both of which is witnessing creeping islamic radical threat- because it is a strategic island

Thanks, other than Chinese port and visa on arrival, we can't do much about islamization, madrasas or jihadis.

shiv wrote:The headline on the link does not say coup. A word search fails to show the word coup at all. Misleading title

The headline says military take over of Parliament to block no confidence vote. its a coupless coup. The military is ordered by the president to prevent No-Confidence vote. Definitely not a democratic process.

We sent INS Vindhyagiri to help abort a coup in the Seychelles in 1986 (‘Operation Flowers are Blooming’) and then we did ‘Operation Cactus’ in 1988 when commandos and naval ships were rushed to the Maldives after Sri Lankan Tamil militants sought to unseat the then President, Abdul Gayoom.

We have extensive political, military & economic engagements with Maldives. We cannot remain a mute spectator.

The parliament on Wednesday passed the appointment of Mohamed Hussain Shareef as the new Ambassador of the Maldives to Sri Lanka with only 28 votes in favour, which is a record low for the ruling coalition.

Wednesday’s sitting was also held under high security with Speaker Abdulla Maseeh escorted to the parliament chambers with security officers, who surrounded the speaker’s seat while opposition lawmakers protested and demanded that Maseeh step down. Maseeh commenced and continued the session amongst the chaos, despite the heated rows between lawmakers of the ruling coalition and joint opposition.

Walled off from protesting MPs by soldiers in plainclothes, Maseeh adjourned the sitting after calling a vote on the president’s nominee for ambassador to Sri Lanka.

Mohamed Hussain Shareef ‘Mundhu,’ a former minister at the president’s office, was approved with 28 votes in favour – a record low for the ruling coalition – while opposition lawmakers were on their feet in front of the speaker’s desk.

The opposition says the People’s Majlis has been under “military siege” since the unprecedented expulsion of opposition lawmakers from the parliament house on July 24, the day a constitutionally-mandated deadline for voting on a no-confidence motion against Maseeh expired.

The motion was deemed invalid by the disputed disqualification of four lawmakers who backed Maseeh’s impeachment. But the opposition insists that it must be put to a vote and questions the legitimacy of decisions made while the Majlis remains “hijacked” by the military.

Opposition MPs continued to protest in the chamber when Majlis resumed after a three-week hiatus on Tuesday. Sittings were suspended after a fire broke out in a toilet.

Shortly before Wednesday’s sitting was due to begin, opposition lawmakers gathered outside Maseeh’s office, which was blocked by military security personnel, prompting senior MPs of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives to also stand guard outside Maseeh’s door with their arms linked.

Live-streamed videos from MPs Ahmed Mahloof and Rozaina Adam showed verbal sparring and heated exchanges escalate into a scuffle between ruling party and opposition lawmakers.

After MP Ali Azim from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party shoved MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef on the face, MP Ali Arif kicked the door of the minority leader’s office and barged in with other PPM MPs.

Lawmakers also hurled profanity-laden insults and allegations of corruption at each other.

As with Tuesday’s sitting, soldiers barred entry to the Majlis chamber until ten minutes before the sitting began.

Shiv, I take it you think running the country with military force is very democratic.Which news portal under those circumstances would print against the Govt. which has the military power to muzzle Opposition in side the Parliament.

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed on Friday said it was wrong for China to expect that the Maldives would take its side and said India’s relations with the island nation is 2,000-3,000 years old. Nasheed, who is in Delhi for an international conference, said India does not conduct diplomacy like western countries and is “very sophisticated”. He explained his country’s relations with India and China in this way. “We (India and Maldives) have been together for 2,000-3,000 years…. Someone can’t splash some money and ask me to go to bed.” He was responding to questions on China wooing Maldives with projects worth billions of dollars through its Belt and Road Initiative at an interaction organised by Brookings India in Delhi.

Nasheed is in India to participate in a seminar on South-South cooperation by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, an autonomous think tank of the Ministry of External Affairs. His presence in Delhi comes at a time when the Maldives government led by President Abdulla Yameen, Nasheed’s arch rival, is on the back foot in Parliament. The Opposition, led by Nasheed’s party, is trying to bring a no-confidence vote against Yameen’s key supporter, Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed.

Nasheed added that he has been allowed here, despite being a “convict”. “Our relationship with India is not based on our fortunes, but for the good of people of Maldives and security of the Indian Ocean.” “India is the world’s biggest democracy and it is difficult to see it remaining quiet or idle (about the developments in the Maldives)…. We have high expectations from India, and I believe India will deliver. In fact, it is delivering,” Nasheed said. “Indian diplomacy is not rolled out like western diplomacy,” he said, adding that New Delhi doesn’t act the way other countries act.

“(Jawaharlal) Nehru did not build a state to bully people. India doesn’t jump or react. They maintain a sophisticated response,” he said. On which side is Maldives going to take as both China and India jockey for influence, he said, “We have taken a side long ago. Foreign policy for me is very simple… Find a friend, be good to a friend…”

The Maldives’ last remaining Opposition leader in the country was handed a prison sentence on Friday

shiv wrote:

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed on Friday said “India is the world’s biggest democracy and it is difficult to see it remaining quiet or idle (about the developments in the Maldives)…. We have high expectations from India, and I believe India will deliver. In fact, it is delivering,” Nasheed said.

I hope there is some action by India to stop this nonsense. It has to be a politico-military coercion by us. We also need to oust the Chinese influence.

Maldives is critical for us. Maldives should be treated as a core interest for us. The only problem is that the inaction tool now had limited options for intervention. Unless a hire and cry can be raised intervening militarily will be seen as anti-people. I don't think soft diplomacy will work here

We have been far too lenient with the Maldivian govt. The fact that Mal;divians still rule their atolls is tx. to Indian intervention to foil a Lankan Tamil rebel coup squashed brilliantly by the Indian armed forces during Rajiv G's era. Unfortunately in Sri Lnaka,he was deceived by Romesh Bhandari,the then FM,who was allegedly bribed by JRJ ,abandoned Mrs. G's policy on the island,resulting in a poorly prepared IPKF thrown into conflict with the battle-hardened LTTE in a guerilla war,where we suffered a few thousand casualties before we brought the situ under control.

The current dispensation in the Maldives have been sucking upto Pak and China exceptionally dangerously,and it would be a toal disaster if foreign troops were brought in by the Maldivians to help them "restore order. The Maldives is a case of "low hanging fruit",where the population is against the ruling dictatorship and yearn for a change. We must plan for overthrowing the Maldivian govt. asap by any means and restoring genuine democratic rule there,if only to prevent China and Pak from gaining a foothold there making it impossible or exceptionally difficult for us to remove. We did much the same in SL in the north and east where elections were held after the IPKF gained control.A plan for this has to be begun as of yesterday.

They are calling back Maldives' long serving Consul at Trivandrum, the city that hosts the highest number of Maldivians. Most of them are here for medical or educational purposes. Grapevine has it that he is being called back under some nonsensical "danger to his personal well being" rubbish. The current Maldivian PM's pawing at an uninterested Cheen's scrotum is taking a serious turn, IMO.

Greatly concerned for this pro-India gentleman and his family. A warm and gentle personality.

What's wrong with a friendly visit by a Task force? Putin needs to give a course under GIAN on how to do this elegantly. Look at all those blackpants/gray shirt kids. Now think of the BalaClava Boyz in the Crimea...

I advocated a long time ago displaying the stick to the MaldiVians.Esp. after GMR got shafted over the airport contract.That was the time when the GOI dropped the ball.We should've supported GMR to the hilt,applying tremendous pressure.look how the US supported Union Carbide after the disaster/Anderson flew the coop,and with ENRON/Dabhol too. Our trying to cosy upto them using "soft diplomacy" hasn't worked at all.

The current situ demands that we send someone who will read the riot act out to the current incumbent,just as Mrs. G. sent Narasimha Rao to Colombo to do the same with Jayawardene,after the '83 riots and pogrom against the Tamils. The fear of an Indian invasion prompted JRJ to backtrack on his mil. policy against the northern Tamils,sign an agreement with RG later on. It would be best if our envoy travelled to the Maldives in the INS Vikramaditya,accompanied by the Jalashwa,Magar,Kolkatta,Shivalik,Talwar,Kamorta,etc.,etc.!

it is high time we restored democracy, and clean up this ever growing swamp. would be a nice slap on cheen's face as well and tell them limits of their subversive intentions. jihadi preachers must be rounded up and jailed locally or deported back to gulf nations of origin.

panama and grenada were invaded for a lot less. one could dredge up 10 cases to suit the case, OIF WMD is another one.

our IFS babus in charge of that quadrant must be sleepy and incompetent to the core. we need a permanent indian military camp in the maldives and a consul to 'guide' future govts as part of our 'IOR co-prosperity sphere'

unless we shut the gate forever, the sino-pak-saudi combine will continue these escapades. so shut it down, and do it for good.

The Invasion of Grenada was a 1983 United States–led invasion of the Caribbean island nation of Grenada, which has a population of about 91,000 and is located 160 kilometres (99 mi) north of Venezuela, that resulted in a U.S. victory within a matter of weeks. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, it was triggered by the internal strife within the People's Revolutionary Government that resulted in the house arrest and the execution of the previous leader and second Prime Minister of Grenada Maurice Bishop, and the establishment of a preliminary government, the Revolutionary Military Council with Hudson Austin as Chairman. The invasion resulted in the appointment of an interim government, followed by democratic elections in 1984. The country has remained a democratic nation since then.

Result US-CPF victory

Grenadian PRG government deposedRestoration of former governmentCuban military presence defeated

United States's justification for the invasion[edit]The official U.S. justification for the invasion was articulated by President George H. W. Bush on the morning of 20 December 1989, a few hours after the start of the operation. Bush listed four reasons for the invasion:[21]

Safeguarding the lives of U.S. citizens in Panama. In his statement, Bush stated that Noriega had declared that a state of war existed between the U.S. and Panama and that he threatened the lives of the approximately 35,000 U.S. citizens living there. There had been numerous clashes between U.S. and Panamanian forces; one U.S. Marine had been killed a few days earlier.

Defending democracy and human rights in Panama.

Combating drug trafficking. Panama had become a center for drug money laundering and a transit point for drug trafficking to the U.S. and Europe.

Protecting the integrity of the Torrijos–Carter Treaties. Members of Congress and others in the U.S. political establishment claimed that Noriega threatened the neutrality of the Panama Canal and that the U.S. had the right under the treaties to intervene militarily to protect the canal.

During his 2016 visit to Delhi, Yameen had said his country pursues an "India first" foreign policy, describing it as the Maldives's most important friend. But that was just after India had shielded the Yameen government from punitive action by the Commonwealth's human rights and democracy oversight body. New Delhi's recent policy of engaging with the Maldivian opposition, especially the former president, Mohammad Nasheed, may be causing heartburn in Male and so the outreach to China has intensified. The Maldives remains the only country in South Asia which the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, is yet to visit.The larger issue remains China's growing strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean region. Although the Yameen has reassured New Delhi that the Maldives will remain a "demilitarised zone", Chinese forays in Djibouti, Gwadar and Hambantota do not bode well for Indian interests. China may be eyeing the Maldives for its next big move to gain a foothold at key strategic points in the Indian Ocean at India's expense. This is only to be expected. China will make all efforts to challenge India's primacy in the region. India must provide an alternative model of leadership in the region. Every victory for China is not an inevitable loss for India. The challenge for India is to recognize the broader trend and take prompt ameliorative measures. Waiting can longer be a strategy.

India and the Maldives pressed the reset button in ties with the latter's foreign minister Mohamed Asim briefing his counterpart Sushma Swaraj and PM Narendra Modi about Male's position on a host of issues that seemed to be plaguing the bilateral relationship in recent times.

Asim, who visited India also as President Abdulla Yameen's special envoy, reiterated Male's 'India First' policy and, according to a statement issued by India {the statement should come from Maldives, not India}, emphasised that Maldives attached the highest priority to its ties with India.

According to official sources here, Asim did not just assure India that Male will do nothing to jeopardise India's security interests but also said in his meetings with both Modi and Swaraj that the Maldives would expedite work on India's developmental projects which the two countries had announced during Yameen's visit to India. Progress on these projects had been patchy until now.

Discussions in Asim's meetings with Modi and Swaraj centred around strengthening of the development partnership between India and Maldives and enhancing defence and security cooperation, said the Indian government.

Asim also invited Modi to Maldives, the only Saarc country which the PM has not visited until now. Modi agreed to visit Maldives "at a suitable time'' as he affirmed that India would always remain a reliable and close neighbour of Male. Asim is also said to have discussed with his Indian counterpart Maldives' recent FTA with China. Male continues to maintain that it would soon like to have a similar agreement with India.

"Swaraj met Mohamed Asim, foreign minister and special envoy of the President of Maldives. Both had productive discussions to strengthen bilateral relationship keeping in mind 'India First' policy of Maldives and our policy of 'Neighbourhood first'," the ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. "External affairs minister (Swaraj) conveyed our commitment to achieving the full potential of our relationship in line with India's Neighbourhood First policy,'' an MEA statement said.

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar alsio paid a "courtesy call" on Asim. Highlighting President Yameen's 'India First' policy, Asim reiterated the importance of further strengthening the historical ties between the two countries, said Male in a statement. "He further expressed gratitude to the government of India for their valuable contribution towards the socio-economic development of the Maldives. Prime Minister Modi assured that the Maldives has, and will always remain, a close friend of India. Further, the Prime Minister assured that India would extend its support in all areas of cooperation," it said.

The Maldives Supreme Court has hit back at President Abdulla Yameen's refusal to free his jailed opponents amid an escalating crisis that saw security forces seal off the country's parliament and arrest two opposition lawmakers on Sunday.

Judges of the top court said there should be "no legal barrier" to releasing the nine people, including the island nation's exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed, whose terrorism and corruption convictions it overturned last week.

Their statement came after Attorney-General Mohamed Anil raised concerns about freeing people convicted of "terrorism, bomb attacks, corruption, embezzlement and fraud".

The top court's ruling last week has plunged the Maldives into political turmoil and dealt a major blow to Yameen, who critics accuse of corruption, misrule and rights abuses.

He denies the allegations.

The sudden about face by the Supreme Court, which sided with Yameen in the past, and the widespread international support for its verdict puts unprecedented pressure on the president to free his opponents ahead of a presidential election later this year. READ MOREMaldives top court 'in bid to remove' President Yameen

The government accused the Supreme Court of trying to oust the president, a claim judges did not respond to in their statement late on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the attorney general, in a televised appearance flanked by the chiefs of the army and the police, said the government has received news of an imminent order by the Supreme Court to impeach Yameen.

"I have informed all law enforcement agencies they must not obey such an illegal order," Anil said.

Ahmed Shiyam, the army chief, said the security forces would follow the attorney-general's advice and "will not wait and watch as the Maldives descends into crisis".

The opposition called Anil's order to the security forces "unconstitutional, highly illegal, and dangerous" and petitioned parliament to oust Anil, as well as the country's chief prosecutor.

Shortly afterwards, soldiers surrounded the parliament building and sealed it off.

The opposition now have a majority in the 85-member house as the Supreme Court ruling also reinstated 12 members of parliament who were stripped of their seats last year.But two of the 12 were arrested at the airport on Sunday, shortly after they returned to the Maldives after spending months in exile.Abdulla Sinan and Ilham Ahmed were detained on charges of bribery, a police spokesman told Al Jazeera. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, an opposition parliamentarian, condemned their arrest in a statement. "We call on the police to release the MPs immediately, and to stop following unlawful orders, to stop obstructing the lawful mandate of parliamentarians," Solih said. "In a desperate attempt to cling onto power, President Yameen has illegally overrun the state. His attorney-general has illegally assumed the powers of the apex court, while the military has overrun the legislature," he added.On Sunday night, hundreds of flag-waving opposition supporters took to the streets calling on the government to abide by the court ruling.

What's stopping intelligence agencies from creating riots and bloodshed or taking out low level political opponents just to have a rationale to enter and depose Yameen. Yameen is not going to breach the Indian threshold suddenly, he's going to do everything that's below Indian threshold and slowly invite China to take over, and once that happens we might as well kiss goodbye to Maldives. The idea of Strategic restraint/being a responsible state/Giving primacy to Diplomacy is just an excuse to runaway from doing the right thing that serves Indian interest.